Door lock and electric switch



Nova 15, 1927.

C. NORTON DOOR LOCK AND ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed July 15., 1920 Patented Nov. 15, 1927.

. UNITED STATES 1,649,484 PATENT OFFICE.

CLIFFORD NORTON, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO ELEVATOR SUPPLIES COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DOOR LOCK AND ELECTRIC, SWITCH,

Application filed July 15,

This invention relates to elevators and more particularly to a bar-lock and sw tch for elevator hatchway doors, and an ob ect of the invention is to simplify and improve devices of this character.

To this end one of the features of the 1nvention relates to the construction of a lock and switch device that is free from springs. Another feature relates to the production of a device of this character which shall be light and certain in operation. Still another feature relates to the production of a device adapted to doors of different construction.

Other features and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description and claims when taken in connection with the accompanying drawlngs showing one practical embodiment of the invention, it being understood that the various features may be used singly or in any desired combination.

In said drawings, Fig. l is an elevation showing my improvement attached to a door;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the switch box showing the latch in position to latch thedoor and close electric contacts enabling the elevator to be started;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of a swinging door, showing my improvements attached thereto;

Fig. 4- is a sectional view on the line 4:4t of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the supporting blp ck for the electric terminals within they switch box Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a swinging door showing in elevation my improved latch and switch connected thereto; I

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken approximately on the line Z-Z, Fig. l; D

Fig. 8 is a sectional View taken approximately on the line Y-Y, Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of the latch member; and

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on the line X-X, Fig. 1..

Referring to the drawings, the door 1, Figure 1, is of the usual construction and may be a sliding door or one that is adapted to both swing and slide. Sliding movement of the door is obtained through the employment of hangers 2 riding on tracks supported from a bar or frame 3. These hangers may be of any usual or desired construction and form no part of the present invention.

1920. Serial No. 396,486.

The door locking means consists of a bar or member l supported in suitable brackets, said member carrying at its upper end a latch which will be later described in detail, said latch engaging a keeper forming part of a switch box 5, preferably situated above the hatchway, especially in the case of sliding doors and doors which both swing and slide.

When my improved bar lock is used on a door which is adapted to both swing and slide, it is necessary that the member 4 be lowered so that its upper end clears the top of the doorway to allow the door to swing open when desired. To provide for this, the member 4 is so mounted that while normally maintained in such position that the latch thereof will engage with the keeper as the door closes, said member 4 may on occasion be lowered so that its top clears the doorway. This may be accomplished in a variety of ways, but in the particular embodiment of the invention shown, I provide three brackets, an upper bracket 6 a middle bracket 7, and a lower bracket 8, and I prefer that the member 4 be round in cross, section where it engages the brackets 7 and 8 but prefer to form it square in cross section where it engages the bracket 6, said bracket 6, as shown in Fig. 10 having a square recess into which the member 4 fits and by which it is guided for movement in a vertical plane, the lowest bracket 8 also serving to guide the member 4 in a vertical plane. The front of the recess in the bracket 6 may be closed by a bar 9 held in position by screws 10. The bracket 7, as shown in Fig. 8, instead of having a hole similar to that in the bracket 8. has merely a circular recess, the walls of which act to guide the member 4 and prevent lateral movement thereof but permitting movement in a direction transverse of the door when the bar 9 is either removed or swung aside to permit the upper portion of the member 4 to be pulled out of the recess in the bracket 6. The bar 9 may be completely removed by taking out the screws 10, or said bar may be, and preferably is slotted at one of the screw holes, so that by loosening the screws 10 said bar may be swung over upon one of these screws, said screw at this time acting as a pivot. The member 4 may then be moved transverse of the door so that a stop 11 carried thereby will rest against the top of the bracket 7 when the member a lift is lowered and, when in this position, the top clears the top of thedoorway so that the door may be swung open.

It is of course necessary to disconnect the door from its hanger in order to permit it to swing, and for this purpose I have shown a bar 12 situated above the top of the door and normally fastened to the hanger as at 13 and 14. The bar 12 may be normally connected to the door at two points through the medium of brackets 15 and 16 carried by the door near the top thereof. At the righthand side of the door shown in Fig. 1, a pivot 17 passes through the bar 12 and is screw-threaded to the bracket 15, a washer 18 being interposed between the bar and bracket, the pivot permitting the door to swing when the front part of the door is detached from the bar 12. In order that this may be done, the bar 12 is connected to the bracket 16 through the medium of a latch device 19, which is in the form of a screwthreaded member engaging the bracket 16, and when it is desired to swing the door, this latch member is unscrewed, thereby detaching the door from .the bar 12 at its front end. The door may then pivot at 17. It is of course desirable to arrange it so that the bottom of'the door also pivots at this time, and for this purpose a pivot 20 is provided at the bottom of .the door in line with the pivot 17. This pivot 20 is normally in the position shown in Fig. 1, there being a pin on the underside of the pivot head which rests on a lug when the pivot is turned in one position, but which permits the pivot to drop into an opening in the door sill when the pivot is turned on its axis.

The member 4 not only acts as a latch to hold the door closed, but also acts to close a circuit through the elevator controller so that. unless the door is closed and latched, the elevator cannot be started. To accomplish this, the switch box 5, shown enlarged in Figures 2 and 4:, is provided; said box comprising .side walls 21 and 22, a top wall 23 and a rear wall 24:, which is bent around to form a bottom wall 25 and also a portion of the front wall 26, which front wall is bent inwardly at 27 to form a keeper for the latch portion of the member 4. An opening is provided in the'back wall 24% through which electric leads 28 and 29 pass, which leads may be connected with. the elevator controller. These leads are suitably insulated from the walls of the switch box and are connected to terminals within the same, said terminals being in the form of plates 30 and 31 mounted on an insulating block 32 fastoned to the bottom wall 25 of the switch box by means of screws 33. The lead 28 is connected to the plate 30 and the lead 29 to the plate 31, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. These plates 30 and 31 have flat portions 34 which are parallel to adjacent faces of a notch formed in the block 32, and these plates 34 project a short distance above said block, as shown in Figures 2 and 5. The latch portion 35 of the member f is formed of metal, and fastened to this portion by screws 36 is an insulating block 37 and about this block is fastened a metallic plate 38. The latch members 4 is shaped to conform to the groove in the insulating block 32, and the surface of said block slopes towards the keeper.- As the door is closed therefor, the latch portion 35 engages the keeper, and by reason of the camming action, of the keeper ,against the undersurface of the latch, the

latch is raised until its heel 39, Figure 2, passes over the end of the keeper, when the latch drops nto the notch in the block 32 and the electric contacts 3% are bridged by the elOLtilCa-lly conducting plate carried by the latch. By reason of the shape of the contacting surfaces of the latch and block 32, the latch tends to move by gravity to position so that the latch contacts with the rear portion of the keeper, and when the door is positively locked, the circuit is completed through the wires 28 and 29 and the elevator starting switch may then be operated to start the elevator. By reason of the fact that the contact 38 is carried by a member movable with the elevator door, it is clear that there can be no closing of the circuit until the elevator door is actually closed and latched. It will furthermore be noted that no springs whatever are necessary.

The elements contained in the switch box are all symmetrically arranged with respect to a longitudinal median plane and the parts of the latch member are also symmetrical with respect to such a plane so that the latch and switch device as a whole is adapted to doors which close towards the right or towards the left.

In some elevator hatchways, it is desirable to use swinging doors, and my improved switch and latch device is equally adaptable to doors of this character. Such a door is illustrated in Figures 3 and 6, the door 40 swinging upon hinges 41. I11 this form of device, the switch and latch may be situated above the doorway as in the previously described form, but preferably it is situated within the doorway, as shown in Figure 6.

From the above description it will be seen that I have-provided an improved form of switch and latch device which is free from springs, and in which the part to be operated is extremely light, the latch device 4 weighing only about three pounds. On account of the fact that an integral part of the switch is carried by the door, positive breaking of the circuit is at all times insured. It will also be noted that any sagging of the door will have no effect in making the contacts less reliable in action, such sagging merely resulting in the latch member having to antenna 593 move a less distance to engage the contact plates 34. I

By means of the shape of the contact surfaces carried by the latch member and the contacts which it bridges, these surfaces slide on each other, whereby they are kept bright and clean. it will also be noted that my improved'device is adapted to doors of varying construction.

While I have shown a preferred. embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that variations may be resorted to within the spirit thereof, and that parts of the invention may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim and secure by Letters Patcut is- 1. In a door latch and switch, the combination with a door, of a gravity latch carried by the door, a metallic contact carried by said latch, a switch box, a grooved insulated block therein, electric terminals situated in said groove, said terminals insulated from each other by said block, a keeper for said latch, said latch and keeper having coacting camming surfaces whereby as the said door is closed said latch is lifted by engagement with said keeper and drops behind the same onto the electric terminals carried by said insulated block whereby said terminals are bridged by the metallic contact carried by said latch, said latch being shaped to litv said groove, and the surfacesofsaid latch and insulated block being such that said .latch after seating in said groove tends to slide by gravity into contact with said keeper, while maintaining electrical contact between the latch terminals.

2. lna door lock and switch the combination with a door, of a latch member carrled thereby, a keeper for said latch member, elec- .tric contacts having surfaces sloping towards said keeper and bridged by said latch member as the latter drops behind said keeper, the latch member sliding upon said contacts and into contact with said keeper, said electric contacts and latch member 'being so shaped that the circuit controlled thereby is broken upon the initial movement of the latch member to open the door.

3. In a door lock and switch, the combination with a door, of a latch member carried thereby, a keeper for said. latch member, electric contacts brought into engagement with each other as the latch drops behind said keeper, said contacts being wedge-shaped and fittin tacts are eld together, the surfaces of said contacts slopingtowards said keeper so that one slides upon another" as the latch moves into contact with the keeper.

4. In a door lock and switch the combination with a door, of a latch member carried thereby, a keeper for said latch member, a

into eachother so that said 0011-,

switch box, means for mounting said switch box in a fixed position relative to said door, electric contact members in said switch box, said contacts being wedge-shaped and normally pointed toward each other, means for bridging the gap between said contacts as the latch member moves behind said keeper, the contacts and bridging means being so arranged that the contact between said electric contact members is immediately broken upon very slight movement of said latch member from its latching position.

5. In adoor locking switch, the combination with a door, of a switch box mounted in a fixed position relative to said door, elec tric contact members in said switch box, means for insulating said electric contact members from eachother, means for electrically connecting said contact members notwithstanding said insulating means, said contact members having surfaces disposed out of parallelism with each other and forming converging planes, a hook-shaped latch member carried by said door, means for moving said latch member into door latching position comprising a vertically disposed actuating bar, said latch member cooperating with said contact members to maintain electric connection between said contact members so long as said latch member remains in latching position, the latching positions of said latch ember and actuating bar being such that the contact between said electric contact members is broken upon very slight vertical movement of said bar.

6. In a door lock and switch, in combination with a door and a latch therefor, a keeper tor said latch, a current conductin contact member, means for mounting said conducting member in a fixed posit-ion in proximity to said latch and keeper, said mounting means comprising a binding post secured adjacent to the door frame, means for establishing electrical connection. with said conducting member comprising a second conducting member movable into and out of engagement with said first-named member,

and means for releasing said latch from looking engagement with said keeper, said releasing meansl comprising a vertically disposed bar slidably supported on said door and extending downwardly from said latch, said bar also serving as a ripping means for ready movement of said oor in either opening or closing direction, said barfurther serving to remove said last-named current conducting member from engagement with said first-named conducting member upon movement of said bar and latch from locking engagement with said keeper.

Signed at New York city, N. Y. this 7 day of July, 1920,

CLl'lFFORD NORTGN. 

